Living icons such as Oprah Winfrey, Nelson Mandela and Harry Belafonte are no greater than anyone else. They experience successes and failures, but they have set big resolutions for their lives and are prepared to conquer them — something we can all learn from.

People designated as potential collateral damage, such as veterans and prisoners, are among the vulnerable. These groups are often ignored and misused by prominent individuals, and it's our responsibility to protect the vulnerable.

There needs to be a specific call to regulation and accountability of manipulative financial institutions along with an increase in education and foreclosure reform, and unemployment protection and insurance.

Unsavory lending, borrowing and banking practices push vulnerable people further and further into debt. More protective policies and stronger truth-in-lending laws could help limit this, but perpetrators of such practices should be held accountable.